Something to Be
by Fredslover
Summary: I've been looking for something, something I've never seen, we're all looking for something, something to be. Naley, Brucas, Jayton.
1. Chapter 1

Life sucks.

Okay, maybe that was a little melodramatic, but it got the point across.

Peyton Sawyer trudged out of her History classroom, her graded essay stuffed into her hand. A big, fat, ugly D stared at her, mocking her as she made her way down the hall. She hadn't studied at all. In fact, she'd completely spaced the night before it had been due. She'd written it in fifteen minutes, and it had shown.

She arrived at her locker, and quickly spun her combination, pulling the metal door open. Sighing, she grabbed her Calculus text book, and shuved her piece of crap essay in the very back of the locker, hopefully never to be seen again.

Securing her black mesh book bag around her slim shoulders, she slammed her locker door closed again. The bell rang, and the familiar sound was enough to bring the first smile to Peyton's lips all day.

Sunlight seemed to literally burst through the steel double doors of the school, as a few overly eager boys swung them open.

Her beloved red convertable sat waiting for her towards the back of the parking lot, and her feet made their way unconciously in it's direction.

" Hey, sexy. " A voice called out from somewhere behind her. She grinned, turning to look at Brooke Davis, who was looking, as usual, incredibly attractive in her tight red blouse, with a dark denim mini-skirt to match.

" Hey. " Peyton answered, tucking an unruley lock of her curly blond hair behind her ear. Brooke's own hair looked as if it had been plucted straight from a freakin' Herbal Essences commercial.

" You're not going to believe how undeniably amazing I am. " Brooke stated, walking along side Peyton, her hips swaying expertly as she did so.

" You have my attention... " Peyton admitted. Everyone knew that Brooke, by the high school popularity definition, was amazing. Some would go as far as to say that she was perfect, but Peyton, being Brooke's best friend since who knows when, knew otherwise.

" A little birdie, with incredible pecks mind you, informed me that there might be a major party happening at my next door nieghbor's house tommorow night... "

" Next door neighbor... as in Felix? " Peyton asked, raising her eyebrow. Brooke and Felix had broken things off between them. Apparently, after their brief relationship she'd discovered that thier "friends with benifits" decision had _benifited_ him a little more than it had her. Peyton had known since his arrival at Tree Hill that Felix would be nothing but trouble, but could help but to have felt a little betrayed herself when she had been told of his actions.

" The fact that Felix happens to live at this particular location, has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that theres no way we cannot show our irresistable little faces. " She said defiantly, as if trying to prove something to herself, as well as to Peyton.

" Mm hmm. " Peyton pulled her keys from her jeans pocket, throwing her bag onto the black leather covered backseat. She watched as placed her single spiral notebook on top of Peyton's bag.

" Give me a ride? " She asked, not waiting for an answer, as she stepped over the passenger door with her long, very exposed legs.

With a nod, Peyton crawled into the drivers side, sticking the keys into the ignition, and turning it, in one swift motion. She pulled her seatbelt across her chest, fastening it into it's harness.

Music blasted from her speakers, the bass causing the car itself to vibrate along with it; The Killers. She'd admit that she'd developed a harmless little obsession over them. The volume had barely registered to Peyton, as it was routine for her. Turning her head, she prepared to back out of her space.

" Damn, loud enough? " Brooke exclaimed, covering one of her ears up with her left hand, and twisting the volume dial down with her right.

" Not anymore... " Peyton told her, the edge of her mouth twitching slightly. She loved Brooke, but the girls love for music that wasn't exactly Peyton's 'type', could get downright annoying. Brooke was generally easy to get along with though, because it wasn't that she didn't appreciate good music when she heard it... she just prefered otherwise.

Peyton sung under her breath to a song towards the back of the cd, one that you'd only know if you owned it. She sort of liked it that way, not that there was anything wrong with the songs they out on the radio, but those could get old, fast. Especially when you heard them fifty times a day.

" So, are you game or not? " Brooke asked, ignoring her seatbelt completely, and propping her feet onto the black dash board of the car.

It was obvious she was talking about the party, and Peyton quickly scanned her incredibly empty mental schedule. She wasn't going to be able to get out of going, Brooke knew her well.

" I guess. " She sighed, pulling out of her space, after having to wait for a good six cars packed full of teenagers.

" Thats my girl. " Brooke said, doing Peyton a favor and turning the music up to it's original volume level... almost.

" Not that I'm suspicious or anything, but you wouldn't happen to have some type of alternative motive for dragging me to this thing, would you? " Peyton couldn't help but to ask. Brooke was quiet, and pretened to be into the song that had just started.

" Hey, they sing 'Mr. Brightside', right? " She questioned, pressing the 'next' button on the control panel, searching for the song.

" Brooke. " Peyton prompted, suspicion seeping into her voice. Brooke found the song, then looked up at her.

" What? " She asked, her hazel eyes looking indifferent. Innocence didn't suit Brooke, because she almost never was.

" What are you up to? " Peyton managed to steal a few glances of her, while still keeping a close eye on the road. She didn't live far from Tree Hill High, and the drive was already half way over with. She assumed Brooke was just going to come to Peyton's house, because her friend didn't say anything as she turned onto her street.

" Nothing, it's not my fault your such a saught after hottie... " Brooke said, averting her gaze to the passing houses.

Peyton let out a groan. Why was Brooke always trying to set her up with horribly available guys? It was as if the moment Jakes had left, Brooke had been waiting in the wings, ready to hook her up with some new guy.

Jake.

She slapped herself mentally for allowing the thought of him to enter her mind. She made it a point not to think about him during the day, and never when someone else was around. She couldn't handle thoughts of Jake, not without tears.

His image was floating in her mind, ever present, but becoming more intense as thoughts of him continued. His soft brown hair, cut short, but not too short. Gentle, hazel eyes, haunting her in her waking hours, and at that moment, her heart literally ached for him.

She was in love... with a man on the run no less. There was no telling when she'd see him again, and it wasn't very likely at all that it would be anytime soon. She tried to stop herself from thinking any further, but found it difficult. She had to tell herself that he couldn't stay here, it wasn't safe for Jenny. Nikki was still searching for them, and although Peyton was pretty sure that she didn't know his whereabouts yet, she also knew that that could change in an instant.

Jake was protecting Jenny, and Peyton knew that she had no right to ask him to stay... she couldn't. When she'd fallen in love with Jake, she'd fallen in love with Jenny too. And putting that little girl into anymore danger, just wasn't an option.


	2. Chapter 2

A few streets down, Lucas Scott was just walking into the door to his bedroom, immediately dropping his books onto his floor. He slipped his shoes off, kicking them under his bed.

School had been very typical, and he supposed he could take comfort in the fact that he'd scored well on all of his quizes in the past week. Though his grades wouldn't matter much if his game continued to suffer like it had been lately.

The reason was simple, although that didn't change the fact that it was rather degrading. It was your average Boy Loves Girl senario, in which he seemed to be finding himself in quite often.

Love was a touchy subject for Lucas, and if you asked him about it, he'd have a different answer each time, depending on when you asked him. Right now, he wasn't sure how he felt about things.

Brooke Davis was a complicated woman, to say the least, but he was pretty sure that he'd figured her out. Or at least, he thought he had. Normally he was good at that sort of thing. Summing a person up, figuring out what made them tick, it really wasn't that difficult if you paid attention.

With Brooke though, you never knew which girl you were going to get; the spontaneous, alcohol poisoned, under dressed Brooke. Or his personal favroite; the incredibly smart, undeniably sweet, under dressed Brooke.

Lucas was still standing next tp his door as he came out of his thoughts. He removed his hoody, straightening out the white T-shirt he was wearing underneath it. A computer sat on his desk, it was sort of old, but worked just fine. Sitting down on his little wooden chair, he moved the mouse slightly, removing his screensaver.

He still had a few windows open from yesterday. ITunes was open, exposing his full music library. He clicked the exit box, looking over at the other window.

Peyton's room maximized onto the screen, and the site was very familiar. He'd always loved her room, and could see the hundreds of drawings camafluaged over the actual wall paper. Her bed was a mixture of green, gold, and a dark crimson silk. She was there, sitting on the edge of her bed. He was about to exit out, feeling a bit odd at just staring at his friend without her knowlage, but someone else walked into the view of Peyton's webcam.

Brooke, looking just as stunning as she had at school today, was now sitting on Peyton's computer chair, her back turned to the camera. Peyton's mouth was moving, and Lucas's hand shot out to turn the volume up.

" ...wearing to this shindig? " Peyton's voice was in the middle saying. Brooke laughed once, pulling her hair into a pony tail unceremoneously.

" Something fabulous, of course. " She said, turning her head just enough so that Lucas got a glimpse of her slinder nose. You knew you had it bad, when the sight of someone's nose sent chills through you. He was laughing at himself, when, quite suddenly, Brooke turned around completely.

She was staring right into the camera, and odd look on her face. He got an intense impulse to look away, or close the window, and had to reassure himself that Brooke couldn't see him. She wrinkled her nose, glancing at Peyton once over her shoulder.

" This is creepy, some physco pervert could be listening to us right now, and you'd never know. " She sounded disgusted, but Peyton was already rolling her eyes.

" Oh yeah, because there's always a show going on over here. All anybody gets to see is me drawing, or listening to music - "

" Or getting naked. " Brooke interupted her, smiling a bit.

" That too... " Peyton laughed, and walked over to her walk-in closet. Lucas watched as Brooke threw no one in particular a dirty look into the camera, and turned around again.

When Lucas had been either dating, or pining over Peyton, he'd admit that he would watch her webcam. She kept it up twenty-four seven, for reasons unknown to him. It was on her web diary, where she didn't hesitate to write just about anything on. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he probably knew more about Peyton than even Brooke did.

Peyton and him were just recently learning how to be friends again, and he still cared a great deal about her. He knew all about Jake, considering Jake was on the Tree Hill Ravens basket ball team with him, not to mention he was a good friend as well. She'd written pages worth of feeling on her blog about Jake, never using his name, or Jenny's, and it was all very heart breaking. He wished she would come to him with things, but it was clear that they weren't at that point again yet. So he would settle for reading her blog, and leaving anounymous messages of comfort, in which she never replied too.

Brooke's voice brought him back to reality, and he saw that she was standing now.

" I'm sure Tim would love to meet with you. " She was saying, referring to Nathan's big shot, annoying side kick. Peyton was now out of eye sight, but Lucas heard he scoff from in her closet.

" Brooke, please. Even if I _was_ looking, it would definately not be in his direction. " She said, as he arm extended out of the closet, with a black T-shirt, with the The Ramones written in a distorted sort of font on the front, hanging from her hand.

" Ew... don't you own _anything_ without the word unisex printed on the tag? " Brooke asked, catching Peyton's remark a little late.

" Look, if your going to be picky about guys, you mind as well not look at all, because you could do a lot worse than Tim. " She finished, as Peyton withdrew the T-shirt from sight.

" The only reason I'm going to this party is because your forcing me too, not because I'm looking for some pig to go home with. " Peyton responded. There was a russle of what could have been hangers, and a crimson blouse, with a plunging neck-line shot out of the closet. Brooke caught it just before it smacked her in the face.

" That's better, I approve. " She nodded, laying the top out on the bed, before turning back to her friend.

" And I'm not forcing you to do anything, you're going to Felix's house tommorow night, because you want too, just admit it. " She said, tilting her head while looking in to the closet.

" Whatever... " Peyton muttered.

So... there was a party at Felix's house tommorow night. Brooke would be there, most likely on a mission to pick up a guy, or two. He didn't like Feilx, at all in fact. If Lucas bothered to show his face there, things could get ugly.

Or, he could end up with Brooke, if he was lucky. Which he wasn't. Parties weren't his scene, he never felt comfortable at them. He wasn't very big on alcohol, and he was sure there'd be plenty of that there, and that Brooke would be helping herself to it.

" You know, some people would consider that creepy. "

Lucas looked back at the screen, but after a second he realized that the voice hadn't came from the computer. He turned around to find Haley standing in his doorway, looking at him with amusement, She was one of the only peiple that knew that he sometimes found himself visting a certain webcam.

" Yeah well, some wouldn't. " He said, giving her a smile, as he turned back around quickly, exiting out of the webcam.

When he turned back around, Haley was sitting on his bed, picking up his Ipod and looking through it. She was wearing a pair of faded jeans, with a light orange T-shirt that read "Miami" across it's chest. Her hair was down, and it's wavy borwn locks reached a little past her shoulders.

Haley James Scott was his best friend, and had been since before he could walk. There'd been a time when they did everything together, without questions. Her recent marriage to Lucas' half bother Nathan Scott had changed things. She was still his best friend, of course, but she was now his sister-in-law as well, which made things complicated between them.

" And to what do I owe this immense pleasure? " He asked her, shifting in his chair, so that he was leaning on the back of it, facing her. She shrugged, placing one of the headphones into her ear.

" I just felt like spending time with my best friend, is that a crime? " She asked, with a very mock look of being hurt on her face. Haley wasn't a great lier, and it was just about useless when she was talking to Lucas.

" Nathan's not home is he? " Lucas asked knowingly. He hated to admit it, but the only reason Haley would be over at his house directly after school was if Nathan was somewhere she didn't feel like going, or couldn't. Haley's shoulders slumped, and she looked at Lucas.

" No... he's having a beer with 'the guys'. " She sighed, punching a button on his Ipod and falling into his pillows. For a second, Lucas' mind flashed back to years ago, when they'd have weekly sleepovers, during which Haley always managed to win the bed from him, leaving him on the floor. They'd tried to sneak and let Lucas sleep on the bed with her, but Lucas' mom hadn't let that go on for very long. He grinned, and removed himself from the chair.

He climbed his way next to her on the bed, laying on his stomach. She was staring at the ceiling, but looked over him once she noticed that he'd joined her.

" Guess what? " He asked, actually giving her a second to try and guess what he was going to say. He knew she hated it when he did that, but continued to do it anyway. She cocked her head, as if really thinking about it.

" I hate this game. " She stated simply, apparently getting bored with whatever she had been playing on the Ipod. She slid her finger in the circular pattern it required to search through the list of songs.

" There's a party going on at Felix's house tommorow night. " He told her, realizing how odd that sentence sounded coming from him. She glanced up from the screen of his MP3 player, long enough to wait for him to elaborate. When he didn't, she decided to comment.

" You hate Felix, and the last time I checked... the feelings were mutual. " She said, still running her finger along the menu of the Ipod. Lucas nodded, then flipped over onto his back, so that he was studying the same ceiling that she was, and not all all seeing her interest in it.

" I know... but I shouldn't let tha effect my social status. " He said, watching as a cob web floated back and forth, being swayed by the air vent. HE heard Haley laugh from next to him.

" Since when does Lucas Scott care about his 'social status'? " She asked, there was a hint of something else in her light hearted question, and it took him a second to realize that it may have been worry. Either that, or she was totally catching onto his little white-ish lie. Knowing Haley, it was probably the second choice.

" I don't, it's just that- "

" Brooke's going to be there isn't she? " She asked, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. She knew all about Lucas' infatuation with Brooke, because quite frankly, he had seen no reason in not telling her, consdiering she would have worked it out eventually.

He did nothing but nod, a little ashamed of being found out. Haley laughed again, this time a little softer than the last time. She lifted her hand and let it fall on his arm.

" I suppose I may be free tommorow night. " She told him, causing him to turn his head over to her. He smiled, thinking vaguely about Nathan. He probably already knew about the party, but wasn't letting Haley in on it. He'd told Lucas once that he didn't like bringing Haley to those sorts of things. He'd said that she was above drunken teenage parties, and everything they stood for. He was probably right, but Lucas knew that Haley would most likely like to have been at least told about it.

" Good. " He said, turning back to the ceiling. Haley's hand left his arm, and he heard the faint click of his Ipod. He decided to get her one for her birthday, so that maybe he'd actually get to listen to his own for once.

" Wow... " He heard her whisper in a way that seemed as if she hadn't really meant to say anything at all.

" What? " 

" I'm... I'm in your Ipod. " She said it like it should have surprised him. He almost laughed, but settled for broadening his grin instead. He looked back at her, and she was still staring at the screen, eyes wide, and unblinking.

" Jesus, there's like... every song I've ever recorded on here. " She continued, scrolling down the list. He finally laughed, and it was his turn to put a hand on her arm.

" Problem? " He asked.

" No...it's just... I like how it looks. " She threw him a look, before turning back to the Ipod. She handed Lucas the other one of the headphone peices, and he stuck in his ear. She seemed to not beable to stop herself from smiling, and he heard her rendition of "Elsewhere" filtering through the mini speaker. Her voice was amazing, and he'd put her songs on his Ipod the second he'd received it. Mostly because he couldn't go very long without at least listening to part of one of her songs. They tended to bring him back down to earth, and it had become quite a habit to listen to her on a regular basis.

" Me too, Hales. "

Okay, so... what do you guys think? This is the first One Tree Hill fic I've ever attempted, being a strictly Harry Potter author myself, I'm trying to broaden my little horizon. R/R! I've been known to check out the stories of the people that review mine...


	3. Chapter 3

The door to the mediocre apartment squeaked audibly as Haley stepped inside, letting it close behihnd her. She have to get that fixed -along with the shower head, the sink pipes, and the freezer. Letting out a deep breath, she got rid of her school books, throwing them on the couch.

" Nathan? " She called, making her way further into the room, passing their pitiful excuse for a kitchen. Actually, she sort of liked their apartment, as neglected as it seemed, it was home to her.

No one answered her first call, so she shouted his name one more time for good measure. There was nothing but silence, and she assumed that he was still out with the guys. He didn't do that as often as he could, and she was greatful for it. He seemed to understand that she didn't like him going out to drink with his asshole friends, which was good.

Haley arrived at their bedroom door, and twisted the door knob gently, pushing it open. The room was empty, just as she'd expected. Their bed sat against the wall, white sheets tangled in a mass of burgandy comforters. Her pillow was on the floor, and his was laying on the very edge of the bed. They never got around to making their bed in the morning...

She closed the door, and felt her heart beat skyrocket, as a man jumped out from where the door had been. She screamed, then closed her eyes tightly. Nathan was laughing, but she was still trying to catch her breath.

" Why do you do that? " She asked, placing her hand on her chest. He was still laughing, but had begun to look the slightest bit sympathetic.

" Sorry... " He grinned, moving cloer to her. She opened her eyes, and he was only inches from her. She smiled finally, her nerves still tingling. She laughed once, and leaned into him.

Nathan's arms wrapped around her waist, and she let out another sigh, this time out of contentment. He may be a little immature at times, but he was all hers.

" Where've you been? " He asked, pulling away from her as he moved over to the bed. He started to straighten the covers, which was quite a sight... considering he never did that without complaining. She'd noticed that he was getting better at this living together thing. She'd even caught him washing dishes the other day.

" Having an affair with your brother. " She blurted, picking her pillow up off the floor. She tossed it to him, and he caught it effortlessly.

" Oh? Well, thank him for me. " He said with a straight face, that cracked halfway through pulling the sheets up to the head of the bed. She scoffed, and climbed onto the bed, sitting herself on the comforter, and making it impossible for him to continue to make the bed up. She crossed her arms, and lifted her head up, daring him to do something about it.

" Haley... " He warned, staring at her intently. She had the urge to get off the bed, knowing what was coming. For some reason, probably pride, she stood her ground. He was approaching her slowly, giving her time to anticipate.

" Yes? " She asked, her body backing away by instinct.

Then he was on top of her, tickling every available inch of her body. She was squealing helplessly, batting him away, but enjoying it at the same time.

" Stop! Nathan! " She screamed, rolling onto her stomach, as she strattled her. A few minutes later, she found herself laying on her back, with him staring at her. The tickling had stopped, and he was just looking at her, neither of them saying a word.

Haley didn't wait for him to make any sort of move, and put her hand on the back of his head, drawing him to her. He breathed against her lips, and deepened the kiss to his own liking. She was smiling, while trying to keep the kiss going.

This would never get old. Every time they kissed it was just as exciting, if not more, than the last time. He smelled of soap, as if he'd just recently taken a shower, and as her hand found it's way to his hair, it felt damp.

As always, he was a little eager, and she had to slow things down a bit. He was only a man afterall. He smiled at her again, and rolled off of her, so that they were laying in almost the same position she had found herself in with Lucas, except she hadn't felt the need to jump Lucas, like she was feeling towards Nathan at the moment.

Things finally cooled down, and she couldn't help but to laugh. After a minute, Lucas' statement came to her mind, and she wanted to know whether or not Nathan had any plans regarding tommorow night.

" What do you know about a party tommorow night? " She asked straight out, turning over onto her side. He swallowed once, and she took him in. He was incredibly handsome, something that had served him well before the two of them had met. There wasn't a girl at the school that could say honsetly that they didn't have a crush on him. The fact that they had married had spread fast, leaving a lot of crestfallen girls to roam the halls of Tree Hill High.

" ... At Felix's? " He asked, seeming to know about it. She nodded once, feeling a little annoyed that he hadn't told her about it.

" Are you planning on going? " The basketball team was going to be expected, asside from Lucas, who rarely attended these little get togethers. He seemed to be thinking it over, as if he hadn't yet decided about it.

" Maybe... " He muttered, studying their amour, which was right in front of the bed.

" And when exactly were you planning on telling me about this? " She asked, lifting her head onto her hand, propped up by her elbow. He looked away from the piece of furniture, and set his gaze back on Haley.

" I wasn't even sure if I was going to go or not. " He admitted, sounding honest enough. " Besides, you hate those things, I didn't think you'd want to go. " He brought his hand to her hair, and twirled a little piece of it around his index finger. She couldn't be upset with him, not with him looking as utterly adorable as he did right then.

" Do you? " He asked, cocking his head to the side.

That was a good question. She'd already agreed to go for Lucas, so that he'd have someone to hang out with if all his plans failed. But what if his plans didn't fail? Would she be able to just enjoy herself at one of these parties? She knew that she didn't used to, but now that she had Nathan to take her... maybe things would be different.

" I've sort of already agreed to go... " She said, biting her bottom lip. He perked up at this, looking at her differently than before.

" Really? " He looked surprised, and she couldn't blame him. It wasn't at all like her to invite herself to anything that could be considered social. She tended to stick with Lucas' view on things of that sort, but she'd changed a lot , thanks to Nathan. She just hoped it was for the better...


End file.
